The carriage and horses continued to move forward in the darkness. Jing Hengbo, who had angrily left the carriage, along with Cui Jie and the little maid, squeezed into the ox cart. Cui Jie’s face was pale, her eyes were red, and the maid was still vomiting. Jing Yun surprisingly didn’t faint; she leaned softly against the cart rail, her eyes staring at the sky, lost in thought.
Only Er Gou was still numbly chattering away, “Two orioles sing in the emerald willows, a lump of white flesh ascends to the azure sky…”
Jing Hengbo felt nauseous again and grabbed Er Gou’s neck. Er Gou angrily stomped on her chest a few times, but Jing Yun intervened to save him.
Er Gou started rambling, cursing Jing Hengbo’s ancestors. This was all taught by Jing Hengbo before, and he could curse for an hour without repeating himself.
Jing Hengbo lazily lay on the ox cart, avoiding the sight of the chaos below. She had forgotten about Jing Yun’s discomfort, and in fact, Jing Yun now looked much better than the three of them.
The smell of blood kept assaulting her nose, and she couldn’t escape it. Suddenly, Jing Hengbo remembered something and quickly sat up.
Since these people had killed someone, they must bury the bodies. Since they were still on the road, the burial site must be nearby. She wanted to see the location so she could later report it to the authorities!
This way, there might be a chance to escape!
I desire beauty, I desire freedom; both are best if obtained together. If the beauty is too terrifying, I’ll give up beauty and choose freedom.
Jing Hengbo lay on the ox cart, contemplating whether to report to the authorities or consider joining the country master of the Black-robed Beauty, thinking that both were country masters and could probably compete with each other. The skinny men were indeed dealing with the bodies right by the roadside. Weren’t these people a bit too audacious?
Then, Jing Hengbo widened her eyes. The bodies were piled together, and one of the skinny men took out a small bottle from his pocket, pouring out a dark, muddy liquid onto the bodies. They didn’t bother burying them; they just mounted their horses and left. Jing Hengbo had never seen such arrogant criminals in handling the aftermath.
She was happy that this would make it clearer for her to identify and report to the authorities. Suddenly, the chubby man driving the ox cart seemed to mutter to himself, “Brother is too careful. Putting so much ‘Tiejie Mu’ on such a small thing is a waste…”
Jing Hengbo immediately asked with curiosity, “What is Tian Jie Ni?”
“Your Majesty,” the fat man said the word “Your Majesty” in a more casual tone than Gong Yin, “This is something unique to our place. Within and outside DahuangZe, stretching for thousands of miles, there are all kinds of swamps, and many swamps have their unique characteristics. Function. Some can cure diseases, some can cultivate precious plants and trees, some can produce poisons, and Tianjie Mud, as the name suggests, can dissolve all objects in the world.”
“Disintegrate into corpses!”
“What’s that?” Jing Hengbo was surprised that even the chubby man had heard of this term and dismissed it, “The Corpse Transformation Powder can only transform corpses, and the places where the corpses have been transformed will be barren of grass and snakes and insects will disappear. It’s easy to see the problem. Our solution It only takes a little bit of mud to slowly expand, covering and dissolving objects within a three-foot radius below it, and then transforming into normal soil. Whatever should grow will grow there, and even the gods will not find traces of it!”
Jing Hengbo took a deep breath. Dahuangze was mysterious and world-renowned. For so many years, no one knew the specific location, appearance, form of government, or the size of its population. The vast and terrifying swamps blocked the eyes of those seeking information.
This isolation led people from other countries to perceive the nation as “ignorant, backward, isolationist, and impoverished.” Was that the reality?
The clothing, behavior, and demeanor of these people didn’t resemble those of ignorant outsiders. The chubby man’s words weren’t just idle talk; he seemed to be warning her not to play tricks.
Jing Hengbo sighed, too lazy to continue identifying the location, and lay back down. Now she felt that using poison against poison was the only solution. The Black-robed Country Master and Gong Yin were both country masters. The former had arrived at San Shui but hadn’t shown up, while Gong Yin took her away. Shortly after, they were ambushed. There was a strong likelihood that the Black-robed Country Master was involved.
Gong Yin adopted such ruthless measures to intimidate. He knew who was behind the attack, so there was no need for questioning or leaving any survivors. Before attempting an escape, praying not to become cannon fodder in a struggle between two tigers was best.
The carriage suddenly stopped again. Jing Hengbo sat up and saw an abandoned house ahead, apparently built by local farmers to guard their fields. Surprisingly, Gong Yin had already gotten off the carriage and was sitting in front of the house with a scroll on his knee – a bright yellow scroll.
After enduring the discomfort of the ox cart, the four of them took the opportunity to get off and stretch their sore bodies. The skinny men had already cleaned the house, and a fire was burning.
Jing Hengbo walked past Gong Yin with her head held high, her eyes glancing at the mat under him. The mat was simple, with a snow-white base and a black satin border, but astonishingly beautiful. From a distance, it looked like a thin cloud, shimmering and lustrous under the moonlight and fire glow. The man with snowy clothes sitting on it seemed even more like a fallen immortal. Even this dilapidated house and sandy ground were elevated by the hidden noble aura, exuding a charming rural atmosphere.
When Jing Yun walked past Jing Hengbo, she seemed a bit unsteady. Once inside the house, she nervously grabbed Jing Hengbo’s arm. “An ivory mat! He’s using a mat made specifically as a tribute! My goodness! He must be of royal descent!”
Jing Yun looked excited, a gleam of red light on her pale face. Jing Hengbo patted her shoulder. “He indeed might be of royal descent, but I think he’s more likely a daring river pirate who plundered royal tributes.”
The blood drained from Jing Yun’s face, and she exclaimed, “No! A person like him couldn’t be a river pirate!”
Her voice was piercing, startling Jing Hengbo. Confused, She touched her head and asked, “Are you sick?”
Jing Yun was momentarily stunned, gradually calming down, and forced a smile. “Uh… I feel a bit uneasy.”
Jing Hengbo gently touched her face, then turned to Cui Jie, saying, “I’ve implicated you all. But as sisters, we must figure out a way to escape!”
Cui Jie, seemingly still disturbed by the recent bloody scene, asked in a low voice, “How did you provoke this group of people? Where are they from? And also, I heard them calling you ‘Your Majesty’? In the end, she widened her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
Jing Hengbo was about to answer when the skinny man entered the room, holding several sets of clothes, and said, “Please change into these.” He then turned to a short young man behind him and said, “Ashan, I’ll trouble you.”
Ashan raised her head, revealing a pair of slightly sunken large eyes. Jing Hengbo only now realized that she was disguised as a man.
This woman named Ashan opened a box, revealing a dazzling array of knives and scissors. A cold light flashed, and Jing Hengbo was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. “What are you going to do?”
Ashan didn’t answer, just gave her a mysterious smile. Jing Hengbo tried to step back, and the smile before her eyes suddenly flickered, like ripples in mist and water. Then she collapsed.
Before collapsing, she seemed to see Cui Jie and Jing Yun also landing softly on the ground.
Er Gou widened his eyes, watching the four women suddenly fall. After a moment of realization, he tilted his head, let out a tragic “Ah!” and fell onto Jing Hengbo’s chest.
Someone walked in slowly, and gently picked up Er Gou, and Er Gou, now even more nervous, tightly grasped the front of Jing Hengbo’s clothes and refused to let go. The rising and falling movements caused certain undulations…
Gong Yin, holding Er Gou, glanced at him. Er Gou quickly closed one eye. He was scared.
Gong Yin turned around, his gaze naturally falling on the ground. Someone who had always disliked low collars and long splits now wore a delicately embroidered low-cut snow-white garment, with a golden-red and emerald-green bird feather falling gracefully on the snowy fabric. It trembled with each breath, not falling with the breath…
Truly a picturesque scene…
Gong Yin, holding the bird, seemed to tighten his fingers for a moment, then walked out amidst Er Gou’s squeaking cries.
“Let’s begin,” he said.
…
Jing Hengbo opened her eyes and saw herself.
“Herself” was holding a large bowl, slurping down food with gusto, chopsticks moving like raindrops, and eating like a whirlwind. Jing Hengbo massaged her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Oh, it must be that she had too many nightmares; this was getting ridiculous.
With another turn of her eyes, she noticed another version of herself sitting across, weakly leaning against a pillar, holding a pair of chopsticks, and sighing while looking at the bowl.
Jing Hengbo was puzzled too. Wasn’t she still in the dream? This dream was too bizarre, featuring two versions of herself, neither resembling the real her.
She never ate like a wolf, nor did she nitpick about her food. She savored each bite, silently sipping her soup, making the act of eating a display of elegance.
A steaming bowl was placed in front of her. Inside was a fragrant chicken congee, and the rich aroma wafted into her nose. Her stomach began to rumble, and she finally realized this wasn’t a dream.
Touching her face, feeling a bit dry, Jing Hengbo turned to the woman beside her and asked, “Is there a mirror?”
A brass hand mirror was handed over. The reflection showed a version of herself that was not quite right – three points uglier than her original self. Looking closely at the other two versions across from her, they shared this slightly altered appearance as well.
“The Majesty’s appearance is exquisite, but Ashan is incapable of replicating it exactly. So, I made some changes to resemble Your Majesty,” the woman explained.
That’s right. This girl was skilled at disguises, but it was difficult to achieve a replica. Instead, she slightly modified her appearance. The other two “Jing Hengbo” must be Cui Jie and Jing Yun.
But what was the meaning of this?
The next day, while on the road, Jing Hengbo understood the purpose.
Because, as soon as night fell in the wilderness, while they were traveling on remote paths, the enemies came again. They were foreigners, numerous, and not suitable for staying in an inn inside the city. So, they had been taking backroads. Consequently, nighttime was the most dangerous time.
The brutal killings of the captives from the previous night didn’t deter them. When they set up camp in the middle of the night, Gong Yin ordered Jing Hengbo, Cui Jie, and Jing Yun to sleep in the same tent.
In the middle of the night, while Jing Hengbo was dreaming of turbulent waves and roaring winds, a black wave with a person in white standing in the distance, connecting the deep sea and moonlight, pointing a finger, and suddenly a long knife appeared between his palms, tearing through the heavens and earth—
A sharp “chirp” sounded near her ears. Jing Hengbo abruptly opened her eyes and saw the tent split open. A snowy flash of knife entered, followed by an expressionless face.
Jing Hengbo sat up abruptly, Jing Yun screamed and hid behind her, while Cui Jie was still groggy, unaware of what had happened.
The intruder who poked his head through the split tent was about to grab, but upon seeing three identical faces, he couldn’t help but be stunned. In that moment of hesitation, there was a loud “thud” behind him. Something seemed to have violently struck his back, breaking his spine. His facial expression froze, and blood sprayed out uncontrollably, splattering onto the nearest Jing Yun’s knees.
Immediately, his body slumped in the opening, tearing the tent. A guard walked over and silently dragged him away.
Jing Hengbo opened the seam and looked outside, seeing a few people fleeing into the mountains. Gong Yin’s guards had another round of injuries, more than the last time, but the wounds were still those minor injuries that weren’t too serious.
Jing Hengbo turned around and met Jing Yun’s frightened eyes. She seemed to finally understand the purpose of the disguise and suddenly pulled out a handkerchief.
Jing Hengbo raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop her. She also felt that using Jing Yun and Cui Jie as her substitutes was a bit too much. Just now, Jing Yun was sleeping at the outermost edge of the tent and almost got captured.
She thought of wiping off the disguising substance; if she wanted to, then go ahead.
However, Cui Jie stared at Jing Yun’s handkerchief and asked, “What are you doing?”
Jing Yun lowered her eyes, ignored her, and was about to leave with the handkerchief. Suddenly, she paused at the tent entrance, turned back to her original position, wiped off some of the substance from Cui Jie’s temples, and smiled, saying, “Did my sister just get scared? Look at all this sweat on you.”
“Do I have sweat?” Cui Jie touched her forehead in confusion. Jing Yun smiled at her, and Cui Jie also gave a little smile.
Jing Hengbo didn’t pay much attention to Jing Yun’s sudden change of actions, just subconsciously turning her head. However, she saw a figure in white silently standing three steps away from the tent at some point. When she poked her head out, the figure paused, turned around, and left.
“Nonsensical!” Jing Hengbo cursed, swiftly closing the tent flap.
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
